Born January 20, 1948, in Crown Point, Indiana. Married to the former Karen S. Pearson of Sheridan, Indiana. They have two children. He enjoys softball, racquetball, woodworking, photography, model rocketry, and flying. His mother, Mrs. Phyllis E. Ross, resides in Crown Point. His father, Donald J. Ross, is deceased. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morris D. Pearson, reside in Sheridan, Indiana.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Crown Point High School, Crown Point, Indiana, in 1966; received bachelor of science and master of science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1970 and 1972, respectively.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of the Association of Space Explorers, the Air Force Association, Pi Tau Sigma; and a lifetime member of the Purdue Alumni Association.

SPECIAL HONORS:

Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster; named a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School and recipient of the Outstanding Flight Test Engineer Award, Class 75B. Recipient of 5 NASA Space Flight Medals. Awarded the American Astronautical Society, Victor A. Prather Award (1985 and 1990), and Flight Achievement Award (1992 and 1996).

EXPERIENCE:

Ross, an Air Force ROTC student at Purdue University, received his commission upon graduation in 1970. After receiving his master's degree from Purdue in 1972, he entered active duty with the Air Force and was assigned to the Ramjet Engine Division of Air Force Aero-Propulsion Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He conducted computer-aided design studies on ramjet propulsion systems, served as the project engineer for captive tests of a supersonic ramjet missile using a rocket sled track, and as the project manager for preliminary configuration development of the ASALM strategic air-launched missile. From June 1974 to July 1975, he was the Laboratory Executive Officer and Chief of the Management Operations Office. Ross graduated from the USAF Test Pilot School's Flight Test Engineer Course in 1976 and was subsequently assigned to the 6510th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California. While on assignment to the 6510th's Flight Test Engineering Directorate, he was project engineer on a limited flying qualities evaluation of the RC-135S aircraft and, as lead B-1 flying qualities flight test engineer, was responsible for the stability and control and flight control system testing performed on the B-1 aircraft. He was also responsible, as chief B-1 flight test engineer, for training and supervising all Air Force B-1 flight test engineer crew members and for performing the mission planning for the B-1 offensive avionics test aircraft.

Ross has flown in 21 different types of aircraft, holds a private pilot's license, and has logged over 2,800 flying hours, the majority in military aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

In February 1979, Ross was assigned to the Payload Operations Division at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center as a payload officer/flight controller. In this capacity, he was responsible for the flight operations integration of payloads into the Space Shuttle.

Ross was selected as an astronaut in May 1980. His technical assignments since then have included: EVA, RMS, and chase team; support crewman for STS 41-B, 41-C and 51-A; spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) during STS 41-B, 41-C, 41-D, 51-A and 51-D; Chief of the Mission Support Branch; member of the 1990 Astronaut Selection Board; and Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. A veteran of five space flights, Ross has logged 850 hours in space, including nearly 23 hours on four spacewalks.

Ross was a mission specialist on the crew of STS 61-B which launched at night from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 26, 1985. During the mission the crew deployed the MORELOS-B, AUSSAT II, and SATCOM Ku-2 communications satellites, conducted two 6-hour space walks to demonstrate Space Station construction techniques with the EASE/ACCESS experiments, and operated numerous other experiments. After completing 108 orbits of the Earth in 165 hours, STS 61-B Atlantis landed on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 3, 1985.

Ross then flew as a mission specialist on the crew of STS-27, on board the Orbiter Atlantis, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 2, 1988. The mission carried a Department of Defense payload, as well as a number of secondary payloads. After 68 orbits of the earth in 105 hours, the mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 6, 1988.

Ross flew as a mission specialist on STS-37 aboard the Orbiter Atlantis. The mission launched from KSC on April 5, 1991, and deployed the 35,000 pound Gamma Ray Observatory. Ross performed two space walks totaling 10 hours and 49 minutes to manually deploy the stuck Gamma Ray Observatory antenna and to test prototype Space Station Freedom hardware. After 93 orbits of the Earth in 144 hours, the mission concluded with a landing on Runway 33, at Edwards Air Force Base, on April 11, 1991.

From April 26, 1993 through May 6, 1993, Ross flew as Payload Commander/Mission Specialist on STS-55 aboard the Orbiter Columbia. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 22, after 160 orbits of the Earth in 240 hours. Nearly 90 experiments were conducted during the German-sponsored Spacelab D-2 mission to investigate life sciences, material sciences, physics, robotics, astronomy, and the Earth and its atmosphere.

Most recently, Ross was a mission specialist on STS-74, NASA's second Space Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. STS-74 launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995. During the 8 day flight the crew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis attached a permanent docking module to Mir, conducted a number of secondary experiments, and transferred 1-1/2 tons of supplies and experiment equipment between Atlantis and the Mir station. The STS-74 mission was accomplished in 129 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.4 million miles in 196 hours, 30 minutes, 44 seconds.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:

Colonel Ross will serve on the crew of STS-88, the first Space Shuttle mission to carry hardware to space for the assembly of the International Space Station. He is scheduled to conduct 3 space walks on this mission. Launch is targeted for July 1998.

NASA Group 9 - 1980 Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: 19+80 - The two European astronauts in the group were not considered by the Americans to be part of the 'official' group. This led to a scene at graduation. More...

STS-27 Crew: Gardner Guy, Gibson, Mullane, Ross, Shepherd. Manned military mission, five crew. Robot arm used to deploy a classified satellite. At T+85 seconds a large piece of SRB nose cone struck the shuttle. The orbiter took 707 hits; one tile was knocked off. The crew was unsure if they would survive reentry. More...

STS-110 Crew: Bloomfield, Frick, Morin, Ochoa, Ross, Smith Steven, Walheim. ISS Assembly flight. Carried the S0 truss segment to the ISS, the first segment of the main backbone of the station to which the solar arrays would be attached. More...

Associated Manufacturers and Agencies

USAF American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. United States Air Force, USA. More...

Associated Programs

ISS Finally completed in 2010 after a torturous 25-year development and production process, the International Space Station was originally conceived as the staging post for manned exploration of the solar systrem. Instead, it was seemed to be the death knell of manned spaceflight. More...

Mir The Mir space station was the last remnant of the once mighty Soviet space programme. It was built to last only five years, and was to have been composed of modules launched by Proton and Buran/Energia launch vehicles. These modules were derived from those originally designed by Chelomei in the 1960's for the Almaz military station programme. As the Soviet Union collapsed Mir stayed in orbit, but the final modules were years late and could only be completed with American financial assistance. Kept flying over a decade beyond its rated life, Mir proved a source of pride to the Russian people and proved the ability of their cosmonauts and engineers to improvise and keep operations going despite all manner of challenges and mishaps. More...

STS The Space Transportation System (Space Shuttle) was conceived originally as a completely reusable system that would provide cheap, routine access to space and replace all American and civilian military launch vehicles. Crippled by technological overreach, political compromise, and budget limitations, it instead ended up costing more than the expendable rockets it was to have replaced. STS sucked the money out of all other NASA projects for half a century. The military abandoned its use after the Challenger shuttle explosion in the 1980's. More...

ISS Status Report 1 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Currie; Newman; Ross. Program: ISS. With the first component of the International Space Station encapsulated in its nose fairing, a 180-foot long Russian Proton rocket was transported to its launch pad at dawn today at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan in preparation for liftoff Friday to begin assembly of the new complex. Additional Details: here....

1998 November 23 - .

ISS Status Report 5 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ross. Program: ISS. Summary: Flight controllers in Moscow commanded the first element of the International Space Station through two altitude raising maneuvers today placing it closer to the desired orbit planned for the rendezvous by Space Shuttle Endeavour two weeks from now.. Additional Details: here....

1998 November 30 - .

ISS Status Report 9 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Newman; Ross. Program: ISS. Summary: Flight controllers in Moscow and Houston continued to monitor systems on the Zarya module during the weekend and prepare for the arrival of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the Unity connecting node.. Additional Details: here....

1998 December 2 - .

ISS Status Report 10 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Newman; Ross. Program: ISS. Flight controllers in Moscow and Houston continue to monitor systems on the Zarya control module and briefed the STS-88 astronauts earlier today on its status on the eve of the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to carry the second component of the International Space Station to orbit. Additional Details: here....

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 04 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. STS-88 Commander Bob Cabana and his crew received their first wake up call from Mission Control this afternoon at 3:36 p.m. CST to begin their first full day of on orbit activities. The crew were awakened with the song "Get Ready" by the Temptations, an appropriate description of the full slate of activities the crew will be involved with as they get ready for the important events of the flight by checking out the equipment and tools that will be utilized during rendezvous, docking and space walking activities. Additional Details: here....

1998 December 4 - .

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 03 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Endeavour's six astronauts wrapped up their first day in space a bit later than planned, at approximately 8:21 a.m. Central time today, when they began an abbreviated sleep period. Crew members were trouble-shooting a minor problem with the Orbiter Communications Adapter (OCA) system, which is used to transmit software files between the Space Shuttle and the flight controllers on the ground. A wake-up call from Mission Control is planned for 3:36 p.m. Central time, for the crew to begin their first full day of on-orbit activities. Additional Details: here....

1998 December 4 - .

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 02 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Five Americans and one Russian set off to begin building the International Space Station at 2:36 a.m. CST today, launching from Kennedy Space Center with the first American-built component of the station -- a connecting module named Unity -- in the Space Shuttle Endeavour's cargo bay. The shuttle's climb to orbit was flawless. Additional Details: here....

On December 5 at 22:25 GMT Nancy Currie unberthed the Unity space station node from the payload bay using the RMS arm. She then moved the Unity to a position docked to the Orbiter Docking System in the payload bay in readiness for assembly with the Russian-launched Zarya FGB ISS component. After rendezvous with the Zarya FGB module, on December 6 at 23:47 GMT Endeavour grappled Zarya with the robot arm, and at 02:07 GMT on December 7 it was soft docked to the PMA-1 port on Unity. After some problems hard dock was achieved at 02:48 GMT. Unity and Zarya then formed the core of the future International Space Station. Ross and Newman made three space walks to connect cables between Zarya and Unity, on December 7, 9 and 12. On the last EVA a canvas tool bag was attached to the exterior of Unity to provide tools for future station assembly workers. Docking cables were disconnected to prevent Unity and Zarya from inadvertently undocking. Following an internal examination of the embryonic space station, Endeavour undocked at 20:30 GMT on December 13. The SAC-A and Mightysat satellites were ejected from the payload bay on December 14 and 15. Deorbit burn was December 16 at 03:48 GMT, and Endeavour landed at 04:53:29 GMT, on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center.

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 05 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Summary: Endeavour's astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period at 5:36 a.m. Central time following a full night of activity in which they checked out equipment that will be used in the assembly of the first two components of the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 10 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Newman; Ross. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Following a wake-up call from Mission Control at 11:41 a.m. CST today, Endeavour's six astronauts began preparing for the first of three scheduled space walks. The wake-up song, "Jerry the Rigger," was in honor of Mission Specialist Jerry Ross, who with fellow Mission Specialist Jim Newman, will conduct more than 18 hours of space walks during this flight. Additional Details: here....

1998 December 8 - .

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 11 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. The first U.S. segment of the International Space Station came to life Monday night as the Unity module was activated for the first time. Activation followed the connection of electrical and data cables by Astronauts Jerry Ross and Jim Newman during a 7-hour, 21-minute space walk. Additional Details: here....

1998 December 8 - .

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 12 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. At the request of Commander Bob Cabana, Mission Control delayed Endeavour's wake-up call by one-half hour today, waking the crew at 12:06 p.m. CST, after the astronauts remained up past their scheduled sleep time to enjoy the view and relax following a very busy and successful day yesterday. The crew was awakened by Dwight Yokum's "Streets of Bakersfield," requested by the wife of Pilot Rick Sturckow, a California native. Additional Details: here....

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 19 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry; Cabana; Jernigan; Newman; Ross. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Summary: Endeavour's astronauts wrapped up the first visit inside the International Space Station and prepared it for undocking, closing the hatches for the final time to the new complex before it is left unpiloted Sunday.. Additional Details: here....

1998 December 11 - .

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 17 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Gidzenko; Newman; Ross; Shepherd; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Endeavour's astronauts opened the new International Space Station for business Thursday, entering the Unity and Zarya modules for the first time and establishing an S-band communications system that will enable U.S. flight controllers to monitor the outpost's systems. Additional Details: here....

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 24 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Phillips; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Endeavour's crew awoke to the sounds of James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)," today, in honor of the good feelings evoked by this successful first International Space Station Assembly mission. That wake-up call from Mission Control at 11:36 a.m. today, marks the start of the final full-day of operations for the six-member crew of STS-88. Additional Details: here....

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 26 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Endeavour's astronauts awoke to the sounds of Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" today, and are now preparing for a return trip to Earth. The wake-up call came at 11:36 a.m. CST, and was chosen by the flight control team to energize the six crew members in anticipation of tonight's landing in Florida, marking the 10th nighttime Shuttle landing in the program's history. Additional Details: here....

1998 December 15 - .

STS-88 Mission Status Report # 25 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Cabana; Currie; Newman; Ross; Sturckow. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-88. Summary: Endeavour's astronauts wrapped up their mission objectives and packed up their ship, ready for a landing late tonight at Kennedy Space Center and the end of the first mission to assemble the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....

ISS Status Report: ISS12 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Newman; Ross. Program: ISS. International Space Station flight controllers successfully completed two test firings of the Zarya module's two large thrusters this week, checking out the software and systems required for an automated rendezvous and docking with the third station module, scheduled to be launched from Russia in mid-1999. Additional Details: here....

STS-96 Mission Status Report #21 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Barry; Husband; Jernigan; Ochoa; Payette; Rominger; Ross; Tokarev. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-96. Summary: Discovery and its seven-member crew are preparing to return home tonight with landing planned for 1:03 a.m. Central time following a flight that will go into the books as the first docking of a shuttle with the International Space Station.. Additional Details: here....

STS-99 Mission Status Report #03 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Gorie; Kavandi; Kregel; Mohri; Ross; Thiele; Voss, Janice. Program: STS. Flight: STS-99. Endeavour astronauts began mapping operations on the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which will provide maps of the Earth unprecedented in accuracy and uniformity. The first swath was begun as the orbiter crossed over southern Asia and continued until Endeavour flew over the continent's eastern coast and moved over the northern Pacific Ocean. The mapping will continue through the mission until the antenna mast is retracted before landing. Additional Details: here....

2000 February 20 - .

STS-99 Mission Status Report #19 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Gorie; Kavandi; Kregel; Mohri; Ross; Thiele; Voss, Janice. Program: STS. Flight: STS-99. Endeavour's astronauts are looking forward to using one more small bonus in mapping operations time. They were given an additional 10 minutes, bringing the total to nine days, 18 hours and 10 minutes. The additional minutes have been added to allow one more mapping pass across Australia, rather than turning off the radar just as the spacecraft approaches the nation's coastline. Additional Details: here....

ISS Status Report: ISS 00-28 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ross. Program: ISS. The Zvezda service module is in excellent shape a day after its launch aboard a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Zvezda was launched at 12:56 a.m. EDT Wednesday and was on its own 10 minutes later after the Proton's third stage separated and fell away from the module. Additional Details: here....

2000 July 31 - .

ISS Status Report: ISS 00-35 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ross. Program: ISS. Summary: The night sky's third brightest object - the International Space Station - now is under computer control from its newest addition, the Zvezda service module, following a 'handover' of that responsibility this weekend from the Zarya control module.. Additional Details: here....

STS-92 Mission Status Report #24 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Chiao; Duffy; Lopez-Alegria; McArthur; Melroy; Ross; Wakata; Wisoff. Program: ISS. Flight: STS-92. Discovery's astronauts prepared for a Monday landing after high crosswinds at Kennedy Space Center caused a delay of at least one day in their return to Earth and the end of their successful mission to expand the International Space Station and ready it for its first crew. Additional Details: here....

STS-108 Mission Status Report #13 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Ross. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-3; ISS EO-4; STS-108. The United States astronauts and Russian cosmonauts aboard the shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station paused this morning to remember and honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, as did many Americans across the country and citizens of nations around the world. Additional Details: here....

Bay 4-13: S0 Truss - 12623 kg. The S0 truss, built by Boeing/Huntington Beach, was 13.4 m long and 4.6 m in diameter. The main truss had a hexagonal cross section. One face carried fluid, power and data cables, while another face carried the rails for the Mobile Transporter. The S0 contained avionics, GPS antennae, and a radiation dose monitor. The S0 would be attached to the LCA (Lab Cradle Assembly) which was attached to the top of the Destiny lab module in 2001. Attached to S0 were:

4 x MTS (Module to Truss Structure) struts. These were used to connect it to the Destiny module

Airlock Spur. This was a 4.2 m beam that hinged out to connect to the Quest module and had handrails for spacewalkers

Mobile Transporter (MT). This was made by TRW Astro Aerospace in Carpinteria and was an 885 kg, 2.7 m long truck which moved on the S0 rails to transfer heavy cargo along the truss.

STS-110 Mission Status Report #04 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Bloomfield; Bursch; Frick; Morin; Ochoa; Onufrienko; Ross; Smith, Steven; Walheim; Walz. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-4; STS-110. Atlantis has closed the distance between it and the International Space Station to less than 1,800 statute miles, and is continuing its approach in anticipation of docking with the station at 11:06 a.m. central time today. The linkup should occur as the two spacecraft fly over south-central China, to the southwest of Shanghai. The Atlantis crew, Commander Mike Bloomfield, Pilot Steve Frick and mission specialists Rex Walheim, Ellen Ochoa, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and Steve Smith, was awakened at 3:44 a.m. by "Rapunzel Got a Mohawk," performed by Joe Scruggs. The song was played for Ochoa, at the request of her family. Additional Details: here....

2002 April 11 - .

STS-110 Mission Status Report #07 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Bloomfield; Bursch; Frick; Ochoa; Ross; Smith, Steven; Walheim; Walz. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-4; STS-110. The expansion of the International Space Station continued today with the installation of the 13 1/2 ton S0 (S-Zero) truss segment on the orbital outpost. Assisted by Expedition Four Flight Engineer Dan Bursch, Atlantis Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa gently lifted the truss out of the shuttle's payload bay at 5:30 a.m. Central time through the use of the station's robotic arm and maneuvered it onto a clamp at the top of the station's Destiny Laboratory. It took just under four hours to complete the delicate procedure. Additional Details: here....

STS-110 Mission Status Report #15 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Bloomfield; Bursch; Frick; Morin; Ochoa; Onufrienko; Ross; Smith, Steven; Walheim; Walz. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-4; STS-110. The first railcar in space crept down the track of a newly installed truss structure at the International Space Station today, paving the way for the future use of the system on which the station's robotic arm will be mounted to travel the full length of the complex. Additional Details: here....

International Space Station Status Report #03-1 - .
Nation: USA. Related Persons: Bowersox; Budarin; Pettit; Ross. Program: ISS. Flight: ISS EO-6. The Year 2003 began quietly for the International Space Station Expedition 6 crew. Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin, and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit crossed the international date line 15 times during the last day of 2002, officially greeting the new year at midnight Greenwich Mean Time during their sleep shift. The first day of the new year involved only a few routine maintenance tasks, exercise and time off for the crew. Additional Details: here....